Prologue: Echoes from the Past

The night was still, with the moon hanging low over the town of Ashwood, casting a pale glow that bathed the streets in an eerie light. The town was nestled in a valley surrounded by thick, ancient woods that whispered secrets when the wind blew through their gnarled branches. Tonight, however, the air was heavy, laden with an oppressive silence that weighed on the town like a shroud.

At the edge of Ashwood, perched on a hill that overlooked the town, stood the Ashcroft Mansion. The grand estate, once a symbol of wealth and prestige, now seemed more like a relic of a bygone era—its stone walls weathered and its once-pristine gardens overgrown with tangled vines. Yet, despite its age, the mansion still held an air of quiet power, as if it guarded something within its darkened halls.

The townsfolk rarely spoke of the Ashcroft family, though everyone knew of them. Whispers of their eccentricities, their reclusive nature, and the rumors that swirled about their involvement in strange rituals had long been a source of gossip. But no one dared to speak too loudly, for fear of what might be listening.

On this fateful night, the mansion was alive with an eerie, unnatural light that flickered through the windows. It was a light that seemed to come from nowhere, casting twisted shadows across the lawn. Inside, the Ashcroft family gathered in the grand parlor, their faces tense and drawn as they stood around a large, ornate fireplace. A fire roared within the hearth, its flames licking the air hungrily, casting a sinister glow across the room.

In the corner, a young girl of about eight years old watched with wide, frightened eyes. Emily Ashcroft, the youngest member of the family, clutched a worn teddy bear to her chest as she tried to make sense of the chaos unfolding before her. Her parents, once the epitome of calm and control, now whispered urgently to each other, their voices trembling with fear.

"Is it too late?" her mother asked, her voice barely audible over the crackling fire.

"We must finish what we started," her father replied, his eyes darting to the shadows that seemed to pulse and writhe around them.

Emily didn't understand what they were talking about, but she could feel the fear radiating from them like a cold wind. She wanted to run, to escape the darkness that seemed to be closing in, but her feet felt rooted to the spot.

Suddenly, the fire in the hearth roared to life, its flames leaping higher and higher until they seemed to consume the entire room. The air grew thick with smoke, and the walls trembled as if the very foundation of the mansion was being torn apart. Emily's mother screamed, reaching out for her daughter, but the flames surged between them, cutting her off.

"Emily, run!" her father shouted, his voice barely audible over the deafening roar of the fire.

But before she could move, a force unlike anything she had ever felt before surged through the room, knocking her off her feet. The last thing she saw before the darkness took her was the sight of her parents consumed by the flames, their faces twisted in agony and terror.

When Emily awoke, she was lying on the cold ground outside the mansion, the sky above her tinged with the orange glow of dawn. The mansion was gone, reduced to a smoldering heap of ash and rubble. The fire had claimed everything—her home, her family, her childhood.

In the days that followed, the town of Ashwood buzzed with rumors and speculation. The fire was officially declared an accident, a tragic result of faulty wiring, but those who had seen the unnatural light that night knew better. They spoke in hushed tones of the strange occurrences that had plagued the Ashcroft family, of the dark rituals that were rumored to have taken place within the mansion's walls.

But the truth, if there was one, was buried along with the ashes of the mansion. Emily, the sole survivor, was sent away to live with distant relatives in another town, far from the memories of that night. The town of Ashwood, eager to forget the tragedy, moved on, and the mansion's ruins were left to be reclaimed by nature.

Yet, despite the passage of time, the shadows of the past remained, lurking in the corners of the town, waiting for the day when they would be unleashed once more. And as Emily grew older, the nightmares began—the same dream, night after night, of a fire that could never be extinguished and the whispers of something dark and malevolent that had never truly left Ashwood.

For in the heart of Ashwood, where the mansion once stood, something had survived the flames. And it was waiting.

 

Chapter 1: Return to Ashwood

 The tires of Emily Ashcroft’s sleek, black sedan crunched over gravel as she drove along the narrow road that wound through the dense forest. Tall pines and oaks formed a tunnel of green, their thick branches blotting out the late afternoon sun. As she approached the town of Ashwood, a shiver ran down her spine, despite the warmth of the day. The road seemed to stretch endlessly, the familiar landscape somehow foreign, as though the years had warped her memories of this place.

Emily gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, her knuckles turning white. She hadn’t set foot in Ashwood in over two decades, not since the fire that had destroyed her home and shattered her life. She had built a new life far away, one filled with the solid, tangible structures she created as an architect—something she could control, unlike the chaotic forces that had once ruled her childhood. But now, after all these years, she was being drawn back, as if the town itself had reached out to pull her in.

The reason for her return was as unexpected as it was unwelcome. Her aunt, the last remaining member of the Ashcroft family, had passed away suddenly, leaving Emily as the sole heir to the estate. A vague sense of duty, coupled with a need to settle the estate and move on, had brought her back to the town she had tried so hard to forget.

As the trees thinned, giving way to the outskirts of town, Emily caught her first glimpse of Ashwood.

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Texte: David Moore
Lektorat: David Moore
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 20.08.2024
ISBN: 978-3-7554-7993-2

Alle Rechte vorbehalten

Widmung:
To those who confront the shadows of their past with courage and determination. May you find the strength to uncover the truth, no matter how dark the journey may be. And to those who bring light to the hidden corners of our world—thank you for illuminating the path for others.